Dispenser for tongue depressors



iolnited States Pater me 2,803,378

DSPENSER FOR TONGUE DEPRESSRS Cyril A. Gundling, Windsor, Conn.

Application May 29, 1952, Serial No. 296,751

2 Claims. (Cl. 221-232) This invention relates to a dispenser for tonguedepressors and more particularly to a dispenser that is adapted for useby the medical profession for containing and dispensing conventionaltongue depressors which are in the form of an elongated strip of wood orother suitable material.

lt is an object of this invention to provide such a dispenser which issanitary, easily operated and which may be readily refilled.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novelconstruction for such dispensers which will render the device highlyeicient in its operation and economical to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the following description and from the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective side view of a dispenser embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of said dispenser partly in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a front view of said dispenser with the cover thereof beingshown in vertical section.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end view on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective front view showing the dispenser with `the coverremoved and illustrating the dispensing operation thereof.

Fig. 6 is a perspective side view of the ejector bar used in saiddispenser.

in the embodiment shown in the drawings, my improved dispenserpreferably comprises a container unit 5 and a detachable cover 6, bothof which are adapted to be formed of a plastic material, by molding orotherwise.

'The container unit 5 includes a base portion 7 which forms a wall ofthe dispenser and has a bottom supporting wall 8, an upper retainingwall 9 and an end wall lil, each of which extends perpendicularly fromthe base 7 and may be molded integrally therewith.

An ejector bar 11 is slidable against the bottom side of the wall 9 andhas an operating handle 12, which slidably projects through a slot 13 inthe cover 6, and an ejector finger 14 which normally rests within anotch 15 in the wall 10.

The said ejector bar may be normally urged in one direction by means ofa spring 16 which is anchored between a post 17 on the wall 9 and a post18 that is carried on the said ejector bar and slides in a notch 19 inthe edge of the retaining wall 9.

Vin the embodiment shown, the said spring 16 is anchored to normallyurge the ejector bar into a retracted position. If desired, the springmay be anchored between the said post 1S and a post 20 at the other endof the wall 9 so that the ejector bar may be normally urged towards itsejecting position.

A follower spring 21 is mounted upon the lower supporting wall 8 and ispreferably retained in position thereon by means of a hook 22 which tswithin an elongated recess 23 that is provided in the end wall 10.

A pile of tongue depressors, indicated at 24, may be Patented Aug. 20,1957 loaded into the dispenser by iirst detaching the cover and thenmerely forcing the spring 21 downwardly and inserting the saiddepressors between the spring and the bottom of the ejector .bar 11,into the position shown in Fig. 3. The cover 6 may then be attached overthe container unit and it will be retained on the said unit byengagement with the outer surfaces at the bottom of the wall 8, the endwall 1t) and the tops of bosses 2525 and 26 which are provided upon theupper surface of the retaining wall 9 #to engage the wall of the coverand separate it from the retaining wall to provide a space between thetop of said retaining wall and the cover for containing the spring 16.

A tongue depressor may be dispensed from my improved dispenser by merelyengaging the handle 12 with the thumb and sliding said button towardsthe end of the of the dispenser; whereupon the top depressor will beejected through the dispensing opening 27, that is provided in the endwall of the cover, into the position shown in Fig. 5. The end of thedepressor may then be grasped with the ngers and pulled out of thedispenser to complete the dispensing operation.

It will be noted that the slot 13 is directly over the edges of the wall9 and the bar 11, so that the said edges serve to completely close thesaid slot, against the passage of dirt or other matter into the interiorof the dispenser, and protect the tongue depressors to keep them insanitary condition.

if it should be desired to have the dispenser operate automatically inthe ejection of a depressor, the spring 16 is merely anchored upon thepin 2i) and an ejection operation may then be performed by merelypulling the handle 12 inwardly and releasing it and permitting thespring to eject the depressor.

I claim:

l. A dispenser including a container unit and a cover therefor, the saidcontainer unit comprising a base forming a side wall of the dispenserand having integrally therewith and extending perpendicularly therefroma supporting wall running along an edge of said base, a retaining wallparallel to said supporting wall and spaced therefrom, an end wallbetween said supporting and retaining walls, the said end wall having anotch therein adjacent the retaining wall, an ejector bar slidableagainst the inner surface of the retaining wall and having an ejectorfinger normally disposed in said notch in the end wall, an operatingprojection on said bar extending through a slot in the cover andslidable there-in, and a follower spring resting upon the supportingwall for urging elongated fiat striplike members against the inner faceof said ejector bar and in alignment with a slot in the end wall of thecover; the said spring having a hook portion and the end wall having arecess therein adjacent to the supporting wall for receiving the saidhook portion to thereby anchor said spring upon the supporting wall.

2. A dispenser comprising a container unit including a base havingextending perpendicularly therefrom a supporting `vvall, a retainingwall parallel to the supporting wall and spaced therefrom, an end wallbetween said supporting and retaining walls, an ejector bar slidableagainst the inner face of the retaining wall, an operating handleextending from said ejector bar, a spring resting upon the supportingwall, the said container unit being adapted to receive a pile ofstrip-like members between the said spring and the inner face of theejector bar, an ejector linger on said bar, a post on said ejector barextending through a notch in the retaining wall, an anchoring post uponthe retaining wall for anchoring a spring member connected to the poston the ejector bar to normally urge said bar towards one direction,bosses upon the outer face of the retaining wall, a cover tting oversaid container unit and retained thereon by engagement with the outersurfaces of the said supporting Wall, end Wall and retaining wallbosses, the said cover having an opening therein to slidably receive theoperating handle on the ejector bar, and a separate opening in alignmentwith the topmost strip-like member in said pile to permitthe ejection ofsaid member through said separate opening.

Y References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSTalbot May 31, 1921 Moeller Mar. 7, 1922 Haberer Dec. 31, 1929 MarcuseJune 13, 1933 McCoon lune 26, 1934 Sinclair Oct. 20, 1936 Fuselier June7, 1938 Katz July 22, 1941 Roberts Dec. 1, 1942 Drexel May 1, 1951FOREIGN PATENTS Germany July 16, 1906 Denmark Dec. 4, 1929

